Actions and situations
Dreaming of slaughtering in Islam
Did this dream upset you?Seek Allah’s protection, blow lightly three times to your left, turn onto your other side, pray if you can, and tell no one: “it will not harm you”.Details and sources
Seek Allah’s protection, three times
Against the evil of this dream and against Satan. The wording given by al-Nawawi: “aʿūdhu billāhi mina sh-shayṭāni wa min sharrihā” — I seek refuge with Allah from Satan and from the evil of this dream. (al-Bukhari 7044 · Muslim 2262 · al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim 15/18)
Blow lightly three times to your left
The narrations say “blow” (nafth), “spit lightly” (tafl) or “spit” (basq): a light breath, to drive Satan away. (Muslim 2261 · al-Bukhari 7044 · Muslim 2262)
Turn over onto your other side
Change the side you were sleeping on. (Muslim 2262)
Get up and pray
If you can; al-Nawawi recommends two units of prayer (rakʿa). (Muslim 2263 · al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim 15/18)
Tell no one about it
Neither recount it nor seek to have it interpreted. A Bedouin dreamt that his head was cut off; the Prophet ﷺ told him: “Do not tell of how Satan toys with you in your sleep.” (al-Bukhari 7045 · Muslim 2263 · Muslim 2268 · al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim 15/18)
“It will not harm him”: that is the promise of the hadith. Al-Nawawi adds that doing only some of these acts is enough, by Allah’s leave. (al-Bukhari 7045 · al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim 15/18)
In short
For al-Nabulusi, slaughtering someone may signify the completion of one’s affairs, while slaughtering a person who must not be slaughtered signifies injustice. The Muntakhab attributed to Ibn Sirin likewise states that slaughtering what must not be slaughtered is injustice.
A summary of the passages quoted below. These are authors’ interpretations, not a prediction: a dream is understood through the dreamer and all its details.
What the interpretation books say
al-Nabulusi — Taʿṭīr al-Anām fī Taʿbīr al-Manām
في منامه أنه ذبح آخر أو يذبحه آخر فإن ذلك دليل على تمام الأمور أيضا إلا أنه أسرع.
[Whoever sees] in a dream that he slaughters someone or that someone slaughters him, this also indicates the completion of affairs, but more quickly.
أنه يذبح إنسانا فإنه وكذلك كل شيء لا يحل ذبحه فإن الفاعل يظلم المفعول به
[Whoever sees] that he slaughters a human being—and the same applies to anything that it is not permissible to slaughter—the one who acts wrongs the one subjected to it.
Muntakhab al-Kalām fī Tafsīr al-Aḥlām (attributed to Ibn Sirin)
Attribution to Ibn Sirin rejected: why
والأصل أن الذبح فيما لا يحل ذبحه ظلم
The principle is that slaughtering what it is not permissible to slaughter is injustice.
Keep in mind
- An interpretation is a human effort: Abu Bakr himself was partly wrong before the Prophet ﷺ. (al-Bukhari 7046 and Muslim 2269)
- Appearances deceive: an unpleasant-looking dream may be interpreted as good, and vice versa. (al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim 15/18)
- A dream is not a fatwa: make no serious decision on its strength alone. (al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim 1/115)
Related symbols
- Sheep, ramThe ram is a noble, powerful man; the flock, spoils and wealth. Finding sheep announces, for al-Nabulusi, authority and blessings.
- BloodFor al-Nabulusi blood mostly means unlawful wealth or a sin; but blood flowing from a wound or out of necessity means health and relief, and blood on a garment, a lie told against oneself.
- KnifeFor al-Nabulusi, a knife may signify strength and money obtained through a servant, or victory and established proof in a legal dispute. The Muntakhab attributed to Ibn Sirin associates it, among other things, with a worldly benefit, a bond, or a companion.
All the symbols in the dictionary